Protecting Property this Festive Season 

The festive season is all about gifts, goodwill, glitzy decorations, good food and taking a great break. But beneath the tinsel and twinkly lights, the season can present risks for landlords. Use these hints and tips to make sure yours doesn’t turn into The Nightmare Before Christmas. 

Christmas time, mistletoe and… fires 

From the Northern Lights to flickering tea lights, it wouldn’t be the festive season without a bit of twinkle and sparkle.… a warming glow is part and parcel of the season. But sadly, that comforting radiance can easily turn into a blazing inferno as dodgy lights, overloaded power points, flammable decorations, and makeshift power stations boasting extension cords, double adaptors and multiple power boards increase the risk of fire. 

But you don’t have to darken tenants’ festive spirit, just remind them about a few safety basics: 

• Only use interior and exterior lights fit-for-purpose and certified as meeting safety standards. 
• Check all lights for wear and that the fuses and wattage/voltage are correct before using; follow the manufacturer’s safety precautions and directions. 
• Don’t overload power boards and avoid connecting extension cords together. 

• Avoid running power cords across heavy traffic areas, under rugs, through open windows or sliding doorways. 
• Don’t hang lights on any flammable surface. 
• Lights should be switched off each night or when you leave the home. 
• Keep candles clear of curtains and furnishings, the Christmas tree, decorations and other flammable items. 
• Never put candles under the tree or hang them as decorations. 

• Secure candles firmly in non-combustible holders that won’t tip over. 
• Never leave a lit candle unattended, check it regularly to ensure it hasn’t burnt down too far and extinguish when you leave the room/home or go to bed. 
• Make sure the tree and any other decorations don’t obscure or trigger smoke detectors and security alarm sensors. 

Avoid the misery of falling victim to a Bad Santa by: 

• Reminding tenants about basic security measures, for example, locking up and not leaving keys ‘hidden’ outside. 

• Suggesting tenants have renters’ contents insurance, as landlord cover doesn’t’ extend to tenant possessions. 
• Ensuring landlord insurance covers contents and also malicious damage – they don’t call it ‘breaking’ and entering for no reason.  

Away in a manger… the tenants put the home on Airbnb 

Holiday… celebrate… earn a few bucks on Airbnb… Enterprising tenants may think it’s a great idea to list their rental on an accommodation platform while they are on vay-cay. But if they have taken off and left the rental in the hands of guests then they have basically sub-let the property. And that’s a big no, no when it comes to landlord insurance – it’s riskier than leaving an eight-year-old Home Alone…. let your tenants know it’s a no-go. 

Source EBM RentCover
9 December 2019